When sparks fly: Dave Pynt’s rise to world-class chef at the helm of Burnt Ends

But weekends spent washing dishes in a pizza joint in Perth, in exchange for some pocket money, inspired a little ruminating. “I like eating, and I enjoy [being in] the kitchen environment. So one thing led to another,” he tells us. After graduating high school, he took on an apprenticeship, learning how to make pizzas from the restaurant’s head chef Wayne Boatwright, who became his first mentor. Boatwright shared his passions for fishing, diving and the thrill of freshly caught seafood. Pynt recounts their night dives in Perth’s rivers, where they caught blue swimmer crabs and prawns together, and cooked them immediately. This memory shaped his obsession with freshness. He quickly learnt that kitchens are akin to sports arenas: “Prep time is like training and service is game time; you must focus and be on point. It’s fast, it’s physical, there’s teamwork, and you either have happy guests or unhappy guests.” Pynt’s experience in the culinary world is further enriched by the mentorships of extraordinary chefs and the invaluable lessons they imparted.

His professional culinary journey started at the now‑shuttered Tetsuya’s, one of Australia’s most prestigious kitchens, by celebrated chef Tetsuya Wakuda. Its kitchen was once renowned for its hypercompetitive environment that demanded precision, repetition and self‑motivation. “Tetsuya’s was a breeding ground for the next generation. [I was] surrounded by some of Australia’s most skilled young chefs,” Pynt shares. “I thought to myself, if I can achieve even a fraction of what [Wakuda has] done, I’ll be proud of myself.”

After a short stint at Noma, widely considered the world’s best restaurant, in Copenhagen, Denmark, with acclaimed chef René Redzepi in 2010, Pynt went under the wing of Victor Arguinzoniz at Asador Etxebarri—the restaurant in Spain’s Basque Country also considered one of the best in the world—reigniting his passion for wood‑fire cooking. “Victor’s technical skill, dedication to produce and mastery of wood‑fire cooking was just mind‑blowing,” he reflects on the pivotal masterclass for exceptional barbecue. Fergus Henderson of London’s St John Bread and Wine, whose nose‑to‑tail philosophy revolved around making food unapologetically delicious, also struck a chord with Pynt for his ability to transform bold, unconventional ingredients into unforgettable dishes.

Pynt also worked alongside Nuno Mendes, the visionary chef of The Loft Project, a high‑profile underground supper club in East London, known for featuring pop‑ups by up‑and‑coming chefs. “You had to learn about cash flow, ordering produce, negotiating with suppliers and how to deal with last‑minute challenges. At the same time, it was amazing to see what other chefs could do,” he recalls of the time, during which he picked up the nuances of business operations while collaborating creatively.

But it is not all too fair to entirely allude Pynt’s culinary inception to the high‑octane kitchen environment. After all, he grew up in a family with an umbilical connection to food. “My grandma and mum were both great cooks, and my dad loved barbecuing,” he reminisces. “We always ate pretty well at home.” This very foundation, like a searing hot stamp branded into skin, was the bedrock for his speciality in wood‑fire cooking, a style so distinct to his Australian heritage that it feels almost second nature.

Fire in the belly

Pynt’s first big break came with Burnt Enz, a seeding pop‑up restaurant in East London’s railway arches circa 2012. Despite minimal planning, the opening night was an explosive success. “We were absolutely f ***ing flogged,” Pynt enthuses. “We ran out of food in the first hour and a half.”

The small, scrappy operation quickly grew into a local sensation, drawing crowds like moths to a flame. While the food was a hit, it was his rustic approach of cooking over wood fire, keeping it simple and delivering big flavours, that ultimately captivated the hearts and palates of many. Simple does not necessarily mean easy though. “People don’t realise the blood, sweat and tears that go into that final product,” Pynt says. “It often seemed raw and ready, but it would just be me prepping for days and a small team helping [out] at the weekends.” Without Pynt’s trial of fire in the respected kitchens that lent him his sharp culinary pedigree, Burnt Enz would not have been the overnight success it was.

Months passed and winter arrived. Harbouring plans to reopen the next summer, Pynt swapped tongs for surfboards. While backpacking through South America, an unexpected yet forthcoming call from Singaporean restaurateur and hotelier Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection came with a proposition he could not resist: an opportunity to open up his own restaurant in Singapore. 

It was a huge leap of faith, especially since he had never cooked in Singapore before. “No footprint, no knowledge, no understanding of how anything works here,” Pynt admits. Nonetheless, he was ready to take the plunge, fuelled by the fact that many of today’s acclaimed chefs, including Odette’s Julien Royer, were beginning to establish themselves in the city‑state. What was initially Loh’s proposition for a Japanese yakitori restaurant—which, for the record, Pynt vehemently rejected—transpired into the modern wood‑fire grill restaurant that is the Burnt Ends of today.

Unfamiliar with the concept, diners were initially hesitant, and early feedback was not always glowing. “One of the biggest comments we got when we first opened was that the steak was burnt,” Pynt quips, laughing at the memory. Other criticisms were about cooking time, over‑seasoning and the restaurant’s no‑reservations policy. Despite the early scepticism, Pynt managed to balance his commitment to heavy char and big flavours with the local palate, thanks to his openness to feedback. The a la carte menu format was also democratised, allowing a broader audience to partake in the Burnt Ends experience. “We wanted to give it a red‑hot shot. If it didn’t work out, we’d figure out what’s next,” he reveals. “But luckily, it worked out.”

The kitchens of Europe lit a flame in Pynt’s culinary career when he first encountered dry ageing. “Dry ageing is common in the UK,” he says. “You want flavour? You’ll need some sort of ageing. A minimum of 21 days is typical; it’s all about breaking down protein structures and tenderising.”

This technique became integral to his cooking philosophy when it was still foreign to the Asian palate. Soon, diners and chefs who ate at Burnt Ends formed a new benchmark for steaks; a dry ageing renaissance. “We started seeing dry ageing in Asia a lot more, from an optimal 45‑day ageing period to some crazy experiments like 200‑day‑aged beef. But it isn’t something we invented; we just brought it over,” he asserts.

To truly bring that wood‑fire cooking philosophy to life, Pynt knew what he needed: an oven. And not just any oven, but a self‑built dual‑cavity wood‑burning oven (pictured with him on the opening spread for this story); one that is undeniably the nucleus of the Burnt Ends kitchen. It is plausible that without his stint at the legendary Asador Etxebarri, this oven would not exist today.

Combining that experience and some dedicated research into oven engineering—think pizza ovens, wood‑fired bread ovens and even kilns—a prototype was born. “Without these ovens, you can’t produce perfect coals over a significant period. Our ability to create is so limited with just grills,” he expounds. The ingenuity of the oven design ensured that high‑heat grilling and cold cooking could be executed simultaneously, necessary for flash‑cooking vegetables and slow‑roasting large‑format animals such as suckling pigs and whole baby goats.

Besides his own oven, there is the aforementioned Mallmann’s grill—invented by Argentinian chef Francis Mallmann, who is known for his rustic open‑fire cooking style—that is reserved for special occasions such as Burnt Ends’ 11th anniversary party last year.

No secrets in the smoke

Restaurant businesses are notoriously competitive and many chefs often take their recipes to the grave. But Pynt is an antipode. He revealed his culinary secrets in his first cookbook published last year. Simply titled Burnt Ends, it comes complete with recipes for 70 of the restaurant’s dishes, even the most crowd‑pleasing ones such as the smoked quail egg. “Your knowledge is already out there,” he explains, emphasising the importance of openness and his willingness to share. “Why would I make an effort to stop that natural flow? It’s going to happen anyway.” His approach stems from his belief that sharing knowledge drives innovation and that chefs should continually seek to build upon the foundation laid by those before them.

This perspective has seen a lasting impact, with chefs who cut their teeth at Burnt Ends moving on to helm their own successful ventures. They include Keirin Buck of popular fine‑casual gourmet wine bar Le Bon Funk and cocktail bar Bar Bon Funk; Jordan Keao of Butcher’s Block at Raffles Singapore; Gwyneth Ang of modern Asian seafood grill One Prawn & Co; Jake Kellie of Arkhe, Adelaide’s first open‑flame restaurant; and Jeff Claudio of Stoke, a wood‑fire grill restaurant that recently opened in Berlin. “It’s not just about me anymore,” Pynt recognises. “It’s about the legacy of chefs we’ve helped shape and the incredible places they’ve opened.” For Pynt, it’s all about continuity; ensuring the next generation of chefs carries the torch forward. “When I get old, I want to have great places to eat,” he quips. “If my training makes these chefs even better, I get to go to their restaurant and enjoy it!”

The path to success is rarely a straight line. While Burnt Ends has garnered accolades and a loyal following, there have been challenges with the other concepts within the group. The closures of Meatsmith in Little India as well as in Doha, Qatar, tested Pynt’s resilience, but each setback was met with introspection and adaptation. “Choose partners carefully, and always pay attention to location and logistics,” he ruminates on the lessons learnt. “I’m cautious with expansion, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about what’s cool and fun yet challenging to do next.” Some opportunities, such as a potential collaboration with Harrods in London, may not have come to fruition, but they have not dimmed his ambition.

Through it all, Pynt remains grounded, attributing much of his success to the unwavering support of his wife Katrina Wheeldon—chef‑widow to Dave Pynt, per her wryly written bio on Instagram—who is the group’s head of brand, communication and marketing. Directing a quip at Pynt before making a hasty return to her duties, Wheeldon says with a chuckle: “The main reason we work together is because if I didn’t work with you, we wouldn’t see each other—especially in the early days.” Pondering on the challenges of balancing his career and family life—the couple has two children—Pynt admits: “It’s always that dilemma. You want the best when providing for your family, and the best investment you’ll ever make is your family.”

Choppy waters are ahead in Singapore’s dining scene and Pynt is aware, noting that increased competition and rising costs significantly threaten the sustainability of mid‑tier restaurants—to call it a white‑knuckled ride is an understatement. He remains optimistic though. “Singapore will always be at the forefront of innovation and creativity in restaurants, especially in Southeast Asia,” he says. With plans to open a brewery specialising in craft beers and aspirations to further expand his culinary footprint, the future of the Burnt Ends Hospitality Group looks promising. “I see it as rolling with the punches. Where opportunities open up, we like to think we’re in a position to grab them,” he expounds. “Who f ***ing knows where we’ll end up in the next year or two, but we’ll keep pushing and growing.” Yet, when asked about his dream project, Pynt’s blazing response is plain and simple: “Burnt Ends is the dream project!”

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